This invention relates a mounting rail for mounting camper shells to the beds of vehicles. More specifically, the invention provides a convenient and aesthetically favorable mounting rail for attaching camper shells to the tops of sidewalls of pickup truck beds, using a limited amount of hardware, without violating the structural integrity of the camper shell wall, and having concealed fasteners.
Camper shells have long been utilized to convert the harsh environment which is often found in the back of pickup trucks and the like, to a relatively less harsh environment. The manner of attaching the camper shell to the bed of the truck or the like, has an important bearing on whether unwanted environmental factors are effectively eliminated from the interior chamber formed by the vehicle and the camper shell. Additionally, numerous stress forces caused by such factors as air movement, vibration, resonance, vehicular movement, etc., mandate an attachment which effectively secures the camper shell to the tops of the sidewalls of pickup trucks and the like. Highway safety further dictates that all camper shells on moving vehicles be securely fastened. The high cost of vehicles, which often serve as status symbols, creates a desire to secure the camper shell in an aesthetically pleasing manner. This may be accomplished by eliminating visible hardware and surplus lines and surfaces.
Multiple lines and surfaces also present a collection point for soil, wax, or other substances not desired to be accumulated on the exterior of a vehicle or camper shell. Multiple lines can cause snagging, deflection, or wear upon cleaning equipment such as cloths, buffing equipment or other provisions to clean or care for an automobile.
A number of systems are currently in use to secure camper shells to the tops of the beds of pickup trucks. One system utilizes a mounting rail with a horizontal member which may be fastened to the top of the sidewall of the pickup truck, and a vertical member which is screwed or otherwise fastened to one or more corresponding vertical members of the shell. This system has several disadvantages. First, the vertical member if the camper shell is weakened at the critical attachment area by the damage made by the screws protruding through it. This violation of the camper shell can create points at which stress fractures can form and eventually lead to the total failure of the attachment. Second, the head of the screw or other fastener is either exposed to the external environment, or must be covered with trim. Third, the protruding point and/or threads of the screw or other fastener are either exposed to the internal environment of the camper shell or must be covered by yet another component; usually an inverted "U" channel. The screw or fastener protrudes through one wall of the inverted "U" channel, and the remaining walls conceal the protruding fastener. Fourth, the external portion of the fasteners and/or their cover are exposed to tampering, vandalism, or an increased risk of damage.
Another system uses a construction involving a horizontal rail, an outside corner, and an inner tube. The inner tube is simultaneously fastened to the rail and the outside corner, with the rim of the shell clamped between the tube and the outside corner. This system utilizes three independent components which must be aligned and fastened simultaneously. This presents the hazard that one or more components will come out of alignment during the fastening process, thus creating an unsightly error and necessitating that one or more components be discarded as waste, and the process repeated.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need in the prior art for a mounting rail for mounting camper shells to a the tops of sidewalls of pickup trucks and the like, which reduces the number of components, conceals fasteners, protects the structural integrity of the camper shell wall, and is simple and easy to install.